Printed over 1,100 years ago, a chinese copy of the. Five things to know about the diamond sutra, the worlds. Five things to know about the diamond sutra, the worlds oldest. Diamond sutra a new translation of the classic buddhist text. Here are some of the oldest surviving books in the world. The diamond sutra is the worlds earliest dated printed book. Printed copy of the diamond sutra the british library. The diamond sutra, the earliest surviving dated complete printed. The story of the worlds earliest dated printed book. It was found in a holy site called the mogao or peerless caves or the caves of a thousand buddhas, which was a. This relic of buddhism isnt the outright oldest book woodblock printing was invented some 200300 years prior but its the oldest surviving book with the date it was published printed on it.
Equally incorrect are websites whose claims are based on the premise that a book is a printed object. Restoring the worlds oldest book, the diamond sutra. It was produced on the 11 may 868, according to the western calendar. Made in 868 ad and written in chinese, the text contains a significant dialogue on perception, and is one of the most important sacred works of the buddhist faith. Translated into a variety of languages over a broad geographic range, the diamond sutra is one of the most influential mahayana sutras in east asia, and it is particularly prominent within the chan or zen tradition, along with the. Thus the oldest book in the world must surely be the gutenberg bible oldest printed book in the west, from c. Vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra is a mahayana sutra from the prajnaparamita sutras or perfection of wisdom genre. It is, in the words of the british library, the earliest complete survival of a dated printed book. This copy of the diamond sutra in chinese language, complete with a beautifully illustrated frontispiece, is the worlds earliest dated, printed book.
Five things to know about the diamond sutra, the worlds oldest dated printed book. The diamond sutra, as described by the british library, is the worlds earliest complete survival of a dated printed book. Five things to know about the diamond sutra, the worlds oldest dated printed book printed over 1,100 years ago, a chinese copy of the diamond sutra at the british library is one of the most. A chinese version of a key text in the mahayana buddhist tradition, this diamond sutra found among. The buddhist text known as the diamond sutra is believed to be the oldest surviving printed book in the world. Do you, however, know which the oldest dated printed book still in existence even today is. The precision with which one can date the creation of this book is purely down to the fact that it gives us its publication datethe only such case on this list it is, according to the british library, where it now resides, the earliest example of a dated, printed book in the world. Restoring the worlds oldest book, the diamond sutra bbc. The vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra has been translated from sanskrit into english variously as the diamond sutra, the diamond cutter sutra, the vajra sutra and the vajra cutter sutra. Oldest printed book published national geographic society. This sutra a sanskrit word that means a religious teaching or sermon, in particular that of the buddha is commonly regarded as one of the most revered texts of mahayana buddhism. In addition to the actual text of the diamond sutra this web site provides a diamond sutra background page which explains the origins of the diamond sutra and information about how this new translation was done.
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